Graft case: Court to frame charges against Ramadoss on Dec 10

New Delhi: A Delhi court today fixed December 10 for framing charges against former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and several others in two separate graft cases related to alleged favours to medical colleges, after it was informed that the matter is before the Supreme Court. “It is submitted that an appeal has been filed in Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order on the matter of framing of charges,” Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain noted in the order.

The court, which was scheduled to frame charges against the accused today, was apprised by the counsel representing Ramadoss that they have approached the apex court after the Delhi high court had refused to stay the framing of charges. The high court had on October 20 dismissed a plea filed by Ramadoss seeking stay of the proceedings before the trial court in both the cases.

During today’s proceeding, the prosecution also moved an application for addition of offences under sections 420 (cheating) read with 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 467 (forgery of the valuable security, will, etc.) and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) of IPC against the accused.

On October 7, the court had ordered framing of charges against Ramadoss and others for various alleged offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating and using forged documents as genuine under the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to public servant abusing official position.

Ramadoss was the Union Health Minister from May 2004 till April 2009 in the UPA-I government. The two graft cases relate to alleged favours shown by Ramadoss and other accused to a private medical college, Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), Bareilly, in Uttar Pradesh and Indore-based Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC).

In the case of IMCHRC, apart from Ramadoss, the court has ordered framing of charges against then deputy secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Ministry KVS Rao, college chairman S S Bhadoria and its employees Nitin Gothwal and Pawan Bhambhani. It has said they were prima facie found to have committed the offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC read with section 13(2) and 13(1)(d) (abuse of power by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of IPC.

In the RMCH case, apart from Ramadoss and Rao, the court has ordered framing of charges against chairman of the college, K K Aggarwal, saying they were prima facie found to have committed offences of 120-B read with sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 420,468, 471 of IPC.

The court, however, has discharged two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital, Vindu Amitabh and Sanjiv Kumar Rasania, who were made accused in the graft case by CBI, saying circumstances do not suggest that these doctors in any manner colluded and acted in conspiracy with the other accused.

Ramadoss, along with others, was chargesheeted by CBI in the case for allegedly showing favours to RMCH in grant of renewal for admissions in the MBBS course in 2008-2009.